Naval Academy Gospel Choir to Perform in St. Louis

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The internationally-acclaimed U.S. Naval Academy Gospel Choir will take their Martin Luther King Jr. weekend tour to the St. Louis area on Saturday, Jan. 19, and Sunday, Jan. 20.

The Saturday concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Bonhomme Presbyterian Church, located at 14820 Conway Road, Chesterfield, Mo. The concert is free and no tickets are required. Doors open at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, the Gospel Choir will provide music for the 11 a.m. Mass at St. Alphonsus “The Rock” Church, located at 1118 N. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, Mo. They will also perform a public concert at St. Alphonsus Church on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. The concert is free and no tickets required. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

The U.S. Naval Academy Gospel Choir, under the direction of Karla Scott, is an upbeat inspirational musical ensemble comprised of midshipmen from of various races and creeds and reflects the diverse interests and ethnicities within the Brigade of Midshipmen. The choir regularly travels throughout the U.S. and abroad to represent the naval service through their unique musical talents and passion to praise through song. Their ten-day trip to Korea in March 2011 garnered international acclaim from ambassadors and state department officials.

“We are looking forward to bringing this premier ensemble to St. Louis to give the gift of music to the St. Louis community,” said Karla Scott, Gospel Choir Director. “When we sing, we honor, through our music those who have served our nation. All of our midshipmen will be serving our country as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps upon graduation and commissioning from the Naval Academy.”

In addition to the above public events, the Gospel Choir will visit two St. Louis area high schools, Hazelwood East High School and St. John Vianney High School, to provide special assembly programs for their student bodies. Student assembly concerts are not open to the public.

Founded in 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy today is a prestigious four-year service academy that prepares midshipmen morally, mentally and physically to be professional officers in the naval service. More than 4,400 men and women representing every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries make up the student body, known as the Brigade of Midshipmen. U.S. News and World Report has recognized the Naval Academy as a top five undergraduate engineering school and a top 20 best liberal arts college. Midshipmen learn from military and civilian instructors and participate in intercollegiate varsity sports and extracurricular activities. They also study subjects like small arms, drill, seamanship and navigation, tactics, naval engineering and weapons, leadership, ethics and military law. Upon graduation, midshipmen earn a federally-funded Bachelor of Science degree in a choice of 23 different subject majors and go on to serve at least five years of exciting and rewarding service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps.